TAMPA, Fla. — Frustration continues to loom for those who live in Maui.
Scott Kirby is a Florida resident but has called Maui home for 20 years. He said for more than a week, they have not received any type of aid from the government.
"We have got no help from the federal government. From the state government or the local government. They haven't brought us one bottle of water in 13 days," Kirby said.
The serene landscape that surrounds Kirby is a stark contrast to the reality he is living in after the deadly fires this month.
"Our main emotion is sadness for people who lost everything, and that is the only emotion that we know," Kirby said.
In Kirby's words, he is working to flip the switch from sadness and anger to a beacon of hope, thanks to those in the community who have offered their help.
"The action of setting up a hub in our neighborhood to offer supplies, diapers, water, gasoline, food for the displaced families because as of today, we haven't seen one bottle of water from any public funding," Kirby said.
Alika Peneku is a Hawaiian native. He said not once after the fires has he seen government help or aid.
"At least somebody to drive by and maybe say, 'Hey guys, you guys okay? You guys need some lights? Some batteries, you know, or something. Nothing," Peneku said.
Peneku said President Joe Biden's visit on Monday is now a moot point. He said he is coming too little, too late.
It's the community, he said, who have stepped up and offered what they could without having a chance of their own to take in the totality of the devastation.
"Everyone kind of jumped into duty so quick that a lot of the front line people here, as far as volunteers and stuff, haven't had the time to mourn or grieve or just sit in the living room or the park with their families and share their feelings," Peneku said.
The hope is the time to reflect and mourn will come sooner rather than later. The same can be said about government aid.
A GoFundMe account has been created to help those in Kirby and Peneku's community.
